Concepts of Ethnicity

verfasst von

Wolfgang Gabbert

Abstract

While ‘ethnicity’ is one of the most intensely discussed concepts in the social sciences, there is no general consensus on the exact meaning of the term. This article starts with an overview of its etymology and present usage. It then proposes a formal definition of ethnicity as a specific form of social differentiation whereby actors use cultural or phenotypic markers to distinguish themselves from others. It is argued that ethnic communities are not a ubiquitous form of social organization. A distinction is suggested between ‘nation’, ‘ethnie’, and ‘ethnic group’ to account for the huge difference in the social bases and political potential of individual ethnic communities.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Soziologie

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies

Band

1

Seiten

85-103

Anzahl der Seiten

19

ISSN

1744-2232

Publikationsdatum

04.2006

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Kultur und Raum, Anthropologie, Soziologie und Politikwissenschaften

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1080/17486830500510034 (Zugang: Geschlossen)